exposed coil work

i have been building my sculptural forms using the coil technique. however i leave the coils exposed instead of smoothening them out. wanted to know if somebody is following the same technique so that we can share our experience regarding this method of working.

I have done a lot of different types of coil work, do you have some questions I can answer or some problem you need help with. It would help to know what cone you are working at, what type of clay and the size of coil you are working with. Denice

Coils that are even and smooth help if you make round pots.However for sculptural works I quickly abandoned this and use shorter strips and chunks. As long as the layers are worked into each other.If you don't smooth it can give more texture and character.Some glazes are specifically made to suit uneven surfaces - the bumps and hollows give different colours.

I have done a lot of different types of coil work, do you have some questions I can answer or some problem you need help with. It would help to know what cone you are working at, what type of clay and the size of coil you are working with. Denice

nice of you to reply. well ,i use stoneware body , having a maturity temperature of 1200 degrees. i ahve never used cones. i make very fine coils. you could compare the size to that is spagetti. so have you done work in coils where the coils are exposed? sometimes,i have very fine fracture like cracks in my pieces after firing? what could be the reason?

Coils that are even and smooth help if you make round pots.However for sculptural works I quickly abandoned this and use shorter strips and chunks. As long as the layers are worked into each other.If you don't smooth it can give more texture and character.Some glazes are specifically made to suit uneven surfaces - the bumps and hollows give different colours.

yes i think the texture is so good i simply don't feel like glazing it. if the clay body has a good colour. even better the piece looks really good.

Do you smooth the coils together on the inside of the piece? Are the cracks vertical or running along the direction of the coils or are the coils themselves are cracking. The coils cracking is from the clay being to dry, if the cracks is running with the coil you probably and not getting enough contact and blending together on the inside. How are you making these spagetti coils? They may be too dry, I usually work on three pieces at a time so that I can work with really soft clay. I'll add coils to one piece and set it aside to dry while I work on the next one, by the time I get back to the first one it's ready for more coil, you may need to score and use a little thick slip made from the same clay to adhere the next layer of coils. I stay away from water, I think it encourages cracking, I hope this helps you may have to make you coils little larger to help solve this problem. Denice

Do you smooth the coils together on the inside of the piece? Are the cracks vertical or running along the direction of the coils or are the coils themselves are cracking. The coils cracking is from the clay being to dry, if the cracks is running with the coil you probably and not getting enough contact and blending together on the inside. How are you making these spagetti coils? They may be too dry, I usually work on three pieces at a time so that I can work with really soft clay. I'll add coils to one piece and set it aside to dry while I work on the next one, by the time I get back to the first one it's ready for more coil, you may need to score and use a little thick slip made from the same clay to adhere the next layer of coils. I stay away from water, I think it encourages cracking, I hope this helps you may have to make you coils little larger to help solve this problem. Denice

thank you denice for the wonderful piece of advice , i shall certainly follow this and let you know.

One of my units I used to teach was coil construction. We would mostly use the coil and pinch technique where the coils were overlapped on the inside, and then pinched to the same thickness as the rest of the form. This allowed larger thinner forms with strong joins. When a student wanted to have the coils exposed for decoration we would place coils on top, use slip or magic water between, and smooth the insides carefully. This allowed the coils to reside on the outside, but a smooth interior. Often a wash of iron oxide was used to accent the coil structure more.

Fantastic ! I really like the form and texture.This one reminds me of some forms of fungi that grow in the forest.

thanks Frederik, though this one has been inspired by the corals i saw around the lakshwadeep islands! but htis is peculiar about nature ....all its forms are so connected...we all can interpret it our way....the way we percieve it..

Madhavi ............ I primarily do sculpture work but also do exposed coil pieces. I will use coils in several different ways depending on what I would like to accomplish. Sometimes I will incorporate coils into the sculpture. Your posted work is very interesting. I would like to see more. Thanks for sharing.

Would like to see one of your spagetti forms. sound real interesting. do you have any pictures? Ain't clay fun Kabe

sure, here is one that i have attached. infact i would really appreciate if you could give me your feedback.IMG_3128.JPG114.91KB131 downloads

Thank you for sharing. Sorry I took so long to thank you. Been real busy. I agree with the other posts. Your work is beautiful, like nature, a fungas or a coral from the sea. must take a lot of time to construct a piece. I don't do a lot of coil work so I can't be much help. sometime I will take a piece that I have been working on and when I am done I will put it in a plastic bag and let it set a day or so , so all the clay can equalize in moisture content. Then I'll take it out of the bag for a few hours and then seal it back up and then do it again the next day. I repeat this process until it is dry I think this helps it to shrink evenly and thinner pieces don't crack and separate from the thicker pieces. Also when you are working on a piece that takes more time, the early parts of it are getting dryer than the part you are working on. I do not know if that would apply to what you are doing or not. Just a thought. ain't clay fun Kabe

Would like to see one of your spagetti forms. sound real interesting. do you have any pictures? Ain't clay fun Kabe

sure, here is one that i have attached. infact i would really appreciate if you could give me your feedback.IMG_3128.JPG114.91KB131 downloads

Thank you for sharing. Sorry I took so long to thank you. Been real busy. I agree with the other posts. Your work is beautiful, like nature, a fungas or a coral from the sea. must take a lot of time to construct a piece. I don't do a lot of coil work so I can't be much help. sometime I will take a piece that I have been working on and when I am done I will put it in a plastic bag and let it set a day or so , so all the clay can equalize in moisture content. Then I'll take it out of the bag for a few hours and then seal it back up and then do it again the next day. I repeat this process until it is dry I think this helps it to shrink evenly and thinner pieces don't crack and separate from the thicker pieces. Also when you are working on a piece that takes more time, the early parts of it are getting dryer than the part you are working on. I do not know if that would apply to what you are doing or not. Just a thought. ain't clay fun Kabe

Madhavi ............ I primarily do sculpture work but also do exposed coil pieces. I will use coils in several different ways depending on what I would like to accomplish. Sometimes I will incorporate coils into the sculpture. Your posted work is very interesting. I would like to see more. Thanks for sharing.

hello wayne. i'm glad you liked my work. certainly i can share a few more pictures...leaf (new).jpg60.23KB80 downloadsIMG_3136.JPG127.7KB81 downloads

Would like to see one of your spagetti forms. sound real interesting. do you have any pictures? Ain't clay fun Kabe

sure, here is one that i have attached. infact i would really appreciate if you could give me your feedback.IMG_3128.JPG114.91KB131 downloads

Thank you for sharing. Sorry I took so long to thank you. Been real busy. I agree with the other posts. Your work is beautiful, like nature, a fungas or a coral from the sea. must take a lot of time to construct a piece. I don't do a lot of coil work so I can't be much help. sometime I will take a piece that I have been working on and when I am done I will put it in a plastic bag and let it set a day or so , so all the clay can equalize in moisture content. Then I'll take it out of the bag for a few hours and then seal it back up and then do it again the next day. I repeat this process until it is dry I think this helps it to shrink evenly and thinner pieces don't crack and separate from the thicker pieces. Also when you are working on a piece that takes more time, the early parts of it are getting dryer than the part you are working on. I do not know if that would apply to what you are doing or not. Just a thought. ain't clay fun Kabe

you are absolutely right about drying the piece gradually and also in my case the part worked on earlier dries up but the gives my piece the strenght to bear the latter part...so it is fine.